


Gallifrey's Kingdom

by songofgallifrey



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-29
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-06 14:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1108057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofgallifrey/pseuds/songofgallifrey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Doctor/River. It's 1944 and washed up on an Island in the Pacific, Third Officer River Song struggles to survive on her own. With no food and water, she thinks all hope of rescue is lost. When she awakes, there is a plate beside her filled with fresh food and water and she realizes she's not alone...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Under Attack

Third Officer River Song was standing on the Quarter deck, watching her crew working on HMS TARDIS. Some cleaning the outside of the ship, some working on the sails and some cleaning up the deck. It was her ship and nobody else's and she smiled at the thought. The ship itself was large and could carry a vast amount of people on and it was all hers and she breathed in the air, smelling the sea water around her as her ship gently went over the waves.

"Ma'am!" A voice shouted and River turned around to see a man in a long navy coat with three stripes on, saluting her yet giving her a cheeky grin.

River rolled her eyes. Captain Jack Harkness was the biggest flirt of the lot on board this ship. He flirted with everybody and had no shame with sleeping with everybody either. He had been trying to get to sleep with her but River soon put a stop to that, making him wear braces and a belt and told him in front of everyone that he couldn't keep his pants on. He knew he had lost his game with her after that. River Song was not some whore. She was a highly respectable Third Officer who had worked hard to make her way up to where she was now. She had to deal with all those sexism bullshit to work her way up to her rank but River Song knew in the end, it was all worth it. "What is it Captain?"

Jack Harkness put down his arm, no longer saluting. "Mind if I join you?"

River raised an eyebrow. "If you're not trying to make a move on me then yes, Captain."

Jack gave her a good hearted laugh as he stood next to her. "Relax blondie." River narrowed her eyes at him as he didn't use her correct title. "I have my eyes on a certain someone anyway."

"Oh? Who is it this time?"

"Chef Ianto Jones." Jack replied. "He makes excellent coffee. Actually, he makes the best damn coffee I've ever tasted."

"So now you're after the coffee boy." River shook her head. "When will you ever stop Jack?"

"Haha! Never will Third Officer. But that's not what I come to talk about. There's been sightings of German ships and aircrafts along the Pacific."

"Never stopped us before." River remarked and it hadn't. The HMS TARDIS could survive through everything. In the middle of a battle? She survived. Sea storms? That too. Tsunami's? Still sea? Literally, everything. HMS TARDIS was the ship to go on if you ever wanted to get out of a sticky situation at sea and River couldn't have been more proud of her. "Where about?"

"Not far off the Mariana Trench." Jack replied and River knew he was taking about the Philippines sea and she frowned. What could the enemy be doing near the Philippines? "More ships than air-craft though."

"But what could they be doing there?" River frowned. "Usually they'll be over near the American boarders but never near the Philippines. Unless they have found something there we haven't."

"Shall I get Skipper Mickey Smith to change directions?" Jack asked.

River shook her head. "No. We'll stick to the course that we're destined to go on and if we do come across the enemy...well, we'll just blow them up sky high."

"I like the way your thinking." Jack nodded in agreement.

"Now go back to your duties Captain, I need to go over this new information." River and Jack saluted each other and River watched Jack go. Jack was the only American on board but that didn't matter. Despite Jack's habits of to try and sleep with everyone, everyone loved Jack. He told great jokes and had a dazzling smile and always won everyone over and she shook her head. She glanced over to see scientist Sarah Jane Smith taking photos of the dolphins and fish that were swimming alongside her boat and River walked up to her. "Anything interesting?"

Sarah Jane Smith looked up, slightly startled before smiling. "Oh yes." She nodded. "Lots of interesting things. There have been more Dolphins in this part of the sea than anywhere else! And flying fish too!"

"I'm sure." River nodded, looking down at the dolphins. "You'll want to go back in later. Tonight the sea is going to be screaming wild according to Vice Admiral Rory Williams. Force gale 10 I think it is tonight."

"Ah." Sarah grimaced at the thought, not liking the idea of having to deal with great big waves and River wondered why she ever went onboard HMS TARDIS anyway but River knew Sarah Jane Smith was one of her closest friends and best scientists. "I'll go down below deck with the Brigadier. Thanks for the warning Lieutenant." Sarah nodded her thanks before going back to taking photographs.

River looked over to see some of her Admirals being taught how to use the sextant, compass bearings more clearly by Rear Admiral Amelia Pond. The Admirals were the lowest rank in the navy so far and if they wanted to make their way up rank, they had to work hard. There was no lazying about. Especially when there was a war on. She watched them as Amelia Pond taught her class. She had allowed Amelia to teach them outside since it was such a nice day. It was better than being stuck under deck and she smiled. Yes, she thought proudly onlooking her crew. This was the life she had always dreamt of.

-

It was a terrible night at sea for all of them and River Song quickly put on her safety harness, barking out orders to everyone she just made it up onto the main deck when the boat veered violently and she lost her balance and went skidding towards the side. "The sails! Skipper, do your job properly! We could have gone overboard then!" She barked when suddenly a huge wave came crashing down onto the ship and River felt herself getting drenched to the skin, the storm and heavy rain getting worse by the second as she grabbed onto a piece of rope, pulling herself up.

Everywhere, people were hurrying to try and get the ship straight and to try and keep it under control but it was impossible. The waves were too strong for them, even for the HMS TARDIS and River felt her blood run cold when she saw Captain Jack Harkness slipping and sliding her way to her her, looking frantic. "Enemy sighting ahead!" He yelled.

River blinked the water out of her eyes, not understanding a word he was saying due to another wave crashing down upon them. "What?!" She yelled. "I can't hear you Captain!"

"I said-" Another wave hit him and he fell to the floor. "Enemy sighting ahead!"

Just then, they heard canons go off in the distance and River cocked her head to the side to see two German warships heading their way, coming closer and closer to them by the second. They must be mad! To attack them in this weather, they had to be out of their minds! Didn't they realize that they would put themselves in danger too?

"Prepare the canons!" River yelled. "Prepare everything we have got!" She made her way over to the rails to try and get a better view of the enemy when suddenly the Germans fired at them, their canons hitting the HMS TARDIS and River felt the ship being hit and she heard people scream in agony, some going overboard and she knew it was too late for them to be saved. The Germans fired another canon and before she knew it, River Song was in the cold of the sea before she could even open her mouth to scream.


	2. Water, water everywhere

River furiously tried to swim back to the HMS TARDIS but the harder she tried, the more the sea seemed to carry her further and further away from her ship. The lights of the HMS TARDIS and the two German battleships went away in the dark of the night and all River could hear was the sound of the distance canons coming from each ship, roaring like two mighty lions in a circus ring.

River looked around, trying to see if there was anything she could grab onto but there was nothing. Not even a single dead body she could grab hold onto but River was glad for that, for she couldn't bear to survive on her dead crew mates and she looked around, realizing she was alone in the deep pacific ocean, the waves too strong for her to swim through and that was something even for River for she was an excellent swimmer. One of the best her boss would say and she could imagine him now scolding at her for not trying hard enough.

She kept on shouting for help despite the fact she knew it was useless. She kept looking around for something, anything to cling onto and her eyes lit up when she saw what appeared to be a round football, one that the crew would use when they got bored or had time to spare and clung onto it desperately, so glad she had something to hold on to. She clung on, not expecting the wonderful buoyancy of the football. She gave up trying to swim for she knew the water was too strong for her and she would be wasting energy by doing so and she was thankful that she had prepared her safety harness before she was thrown overboard. She let herself float, her mind whirling as she tried to see any sign of HMS TARDIS or even the German warships but there were none. She tried not to kick too much and kept herself up, just high enough so that her head was above the water and for her to be able to breathe. She knew that if she just kept clinging onto the rusty old football, she had a chance to survive. She had to. The sea couldn't get rid of Third Office River Song that easily, not after everything she had been through onboard the HMS TARDIS.

River kept telling herself that over and over again. Praying that her crew would make it out alive and would come back to rescue her as the water slowly chilled her to death. She let her memories wonder to all the best times she had on the HMS TARDIS, all the good memories she had in the Navy even during the war that they were having now to try and stop herself from shivering. It reassured her somewhat and took her mind off the reality that was happening around her at the moment.

River always dreamt of being buried at sea. But never did she imagined it being like this. The sea was waiting for her she knew. The sea was mocking her, taking it's time to slowly take the life out of her before tossing her down and down to the bottom amongst the seaweed and the sailors bones and imaginary shipwrecks. It was toying with her, knowing it wanted her to suffer a long and miserable and lonely death. She gritted her teeth, trying to stop her teeth from chattering.

She felt herself growing weak. She had been at this for more than a few hours now and her mind and body were exhausted from all that had happened and she felt herself drifting off into sleep but she knew she must not. She had to survive. She had too but she couldn't help it and she felt her eyes drifting, her head lying on the old football as it carried her further and further down the sea.

Someone bent over River, shaking her but River was half asleep and couldn't understand a word what they were saying and River thought it was Jack, trying to crook his fingers at her and get his way with her and she merely ignored him, telling him to bugger off and drifted off into an uneasy sleep that contained German lions roaring at her in the midst of the deep blue sea. 

-

It was a few hours later and River was woken by a loud howling noise and she looked around herself, trying to get her bearings and her heart sank as she realized she was not onboard the HMS TARDIS. There was no Sarah Jane Smith. No Amelia Pond. No Rory Williams. Not even Captain Jack Harkness was around and she sat up, realizing she was lying on sand and winced when the howling noise around her became screaming noises and she tried to block out the sound but she knew it was no use. She sat up and realized she was on the beach but not one she recognized and it had trees growing thick and lush behind her down to the beach. At least she had some shade to protect herself with from the sun that loomed over her.

She sighed. She was weak and tired and her mind and body were exhausted. Not only that, she was chilled to the bone and she had nothing but her safety harness on her which was completely useless now and she hurriedly struggled to take it off, her fingers numb.

After a while, she finally she took it off and threw it to the side and she struggled to her feet before she started to call for members of her crew, calling for any of her friends until her voice went hoarse. No one. She was alone like she was in the sea and she closed her eyes. This was one of the worse case scenarios. Sure, they had always joked about what to do if you were shipwrecked on a desert island but never did she imagine it would actually happen and she had nothing to prepare herself with. Nothing. Not even a simple knife or matches. 

She looked around her and noticed the wide blue sea was empty as the cloudless sky above. No more HMS TARDIS. Perhaps it had sank for good. The Germans really did beat her to death. “Bloody Germans. ” She spat before she started calling again. Calling for anyone. Even Captain Jack Harkness would be good for her right now. She called again and again until she felt the tears coming and she quickly wiped them away. No. She would not cry. She would not panic. She had to be strong. For all she could knew, her crew could be looking for her within a couple days and she'll be rescued off this island and she brightened up at the thought. Yes, if she could survive alone for a couple of days, that was good enough for her.

She looked next to her, seeing the football she had clung onto and the one that saved her life and she gingerly picked it up. She would keep it for now for she knew it would provide her entertainment on this Island when she got bored before she frowned, thinking back onto how she got here.

How had she got here? For miles and miles whilst she was in the sea, she could see no living being but she remembered being picked up. She had been picked up by someone but who? Was someone else here on the Island and if so, why weren't they showing themselves? River sighed, running a hand through her wet curly hair. She had such confused memories, everything had happened to fast and too quickly for her to take it all in.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the howling noise from the trees and River glanced at them, knowing the noise was being created by some wild animals, no doubt monkeys of some sorts and she cocked her head to the side, trying to identify which animals were causing it and she smiled slightly to herself. Yes. She nodded. She had travelled to previous Islands before with her crew and the Islands had similar animals to this, all making the same noise. She recognized them as Gibbons and she sincerely hoped for her sake that there was nothing dangerous lurking within the forest for she knew she couldn't survive just on the beach, she would have to go into the forest eventually. 

She set off at a run, heading towards the direction of the forest and into the cooling shade, trying to battle of the heat from the sun. She discovered a narrow track going up hill and quickly followed it before slowing into a walk, realizing that she it was a very steep hill, even for her and as she walked, the whole forest was alive with wild animals. Birds cackled and screeched high above her and she rolled up the sleeves on her uniform as the howling wailed and wafted through the trees and for some reason, River couldn't help but feel like she was being watched by the animals and she shivered at the thought. Now she was just being silly and she stopped for breath before continuing her journey. She had to see how big this Island was.

What had seemed at first to be a short hike felt more like a great expedition into the interior. River had emerged exhausted from the trees and clambered laboriously up a rocky scree and stood at long last on the peak.

The sun was just blazing down and River had not really felt the burning heat until then and River wished she had some sort of sun protection with her. She quickly scanned the horizon but there was nothing. Even if a sail did come, what would she do? She had no lighter or matches with her. She wasn't the one to smoke but she had the knowledge of lighting fires. She quickly searched her pockets, looking for anything useful but all she found were wet pieces of paper that were now torn and scrunched up and completely useless to her and she quickly threw it out towards the ocean, knowing she was missing it by a million and sighed.

The Island itself looked perhaps two to three miles in length from what she could see so far. It was shaped like an extended peanut but each end was longer than the other. There was a long swathe of brilliant white beach on both sides of the Island and at the far end another hill and the slopes move steeper and more thickly wooded but none as high as the one River was standing on now. As far as she could tell, she was the only human on this Island and there was no sign of HMS TARDIS anywhere. 

River had to think. First, she would get some rest then she would find clear and fresh water, knowing she mustn’t drink any of the sea water, knowing it contained salt and other minerals that weren't good for the human body. She had to survive. She knew she was strong enough but she wasn't sure how long she could survive by herself, alone in her thoughts. She would go mad and she barked out a harsh laugh at the thought. “I'm all ready mad sweetie.” She scoffed to herself. 

She sat down in the shadow of a great rock as the gibbons set up a renewed chorus of howling and hooting in the forest and a flock of raucous birds clattered up out of the canopy of the trees below her and flew off across the Island to settle in the trees on the hillside.

“I'll be fine.” She told herself. “I've survived worse than this. The HMS TARDIS would be fine and would come looking for their Third Officer and then we will defeat the bloody Germans once and for all. But first, I'm going to have to find clean water. I need water.” She nodded to herself, liking the way she was thinking. “Water and then fresh food, that'll give me energy in no time.” In a way, it helped River to speak her mind out loud. Usually, she always kept her thoughts to herself and was always a private person but since she was the only one on the Island it was just nice to hear a voice even if it was herself speaking. She picked up the football that she had put down by her side and looked at it. 

She knew it would be a ridiculous idea to go head first into the forest once more looking for water, she had to look across the shoreline and hopefully find a stream or river flowing out into the sea and there she should hopefully be able to find something decent she could eat as well. She picked up the football and made her way down. If the animals could live like the way they were living now, surely she could survive too and she looked around, seeing different types of fruits and other edible vegetation that she had learnt from her books and saw many she recognized and was thankful they were safe to eat and she stretched her neck to see how tall the trees were and her heart sank, realizing that the trees were impossible to climb. Oh, River Song was an excellent climber herself but these were true rainforest trees. They went up for at least hundred feet, some perhaps even further and she knew she would never be able to reach the top but she was grateful for the fact that the intertwining canopy provided welcome relief from the heat of the day. 

It had been a few hours later and River felt herself going parched and famished as she found herself at the beach again and began to make her way around the Island and kept herself close to the edge of the forest, staying out of the heat but still she had no luck and she felt herself growing more frustrated by the minute. She found plenty of coconuts on the ground but they were always cracked open and empty inside and River cursed out loud towards the animals, knowing it was they who had caused the coconuts to fall and crack open.

When the beach itself was petered out, she had to strike off into the forest itself. She looked around and saw narrow tracks that she could follow and the forest became impenetrable as she walked further into it. She looked as the leaves on the trees shivered and tried to ignore the snapping of twigs and the sudden surreptitious rustlings made by the animals within the forest and she knew the animals were watching her, studying her and wondering what she was and River hoped there were no predators within the forest or nothing dangerous at least for she was unarmed and defenceless and she knew with each step she took, she was being followed.

She hurried on, swallowing slightly hoping that the Gibbons and what other animals lay within the forest would leave her alone and she began to run until the track brought her out onto the rocks and into the blessed light of the day and she could see the sea again.

This end of the Island appeared to be littered with massive boulders that lay like tumbled cliffs all along the coast She leapt from one to the other, all the while keeping an eye out for a trick of a stream coming through the rocks from the forest above but she found none.

She felt herself getting exhausted now and she sat down on a rock to rest, her mouth dry and her head throbbing and she put her hand to her head, trying to get rid of the throbbing pain. “There has to be water.” She told herself firmly, there had to be for how else would the animals survive? She knew the animals knew where the stream was so where was it? She took a deep breath before slowly standing up and making her way to find water. She would not begin to feel sorry for herself. River Song was not that sort of person and she pushed herself further.

The seawater in the rock pools was so cool, so tempting but River knew not to drink from them. It was dangerous drinking sea water. She looked up at the sky, seeing the sun all ready lowering itself by the time she reached the beach on the other side of the Island. She was only about halfway round from what she could guess and the Island itself suddenly seemed much bigger than it was when she stood on top of the hill that morning. But despite all her searching, River had found no water and nothing suitable to eat. She could go no further, her body and mind was exhausted from all that has happened. She thought of going into the forest but she had yet to find out what other animals apart from gibbons and monkeys laid within and she did not feel like putting herself at risk at this particular moment, especially when the shadow of night was falling over the Island.

The howling had started up again far away in the forest, the last mellifluous evensong, a chanting that went on and on until darkness itself covered the whole Island. River could hear insects whirred and whined nearby and there was a hollow tapping, like a frantic woodpecker. There was also scrapping scratching and a grunting grating noise that sounded very much like the frogs back home and the whole orchestra of the jungle was tuning up.

River Song wasn't afraid. It took a lot to frighten River but animals making silly noises did not frighten her. She shook her head before her eyes brightened as she spotted a small cave at one end of the beach with a dry sandy floor and she laid down, trying to get as comfortable as possible on the stone floor. 

She struggled to get to sleep for a while, nightmares of what happened on the HMS began to haunt her and she kept waking up in sweat, panting and sometimes screaming until finally, she managed to drift of into a deep and uneasy sleep, dreaming about her fellow comrades with the hope of rescue.

She only hoped she had the strength to see them all again, that is, if any of them survived the attack that was.


	3. No Fire

The next morning, River woke up cold and hungry and bitten all over. She cursed the insects and hoped that none of the bites were serious before she slowly sat up, running a hand through her messy, curly hair.

She got up, all that had happened from before came flooding back to her but River pushed that aside and ventured out of the cave and breathed in the air around her. She spotted some rocks high above the cave she was in and she clambered up to see the view, trying to ignore her rumbling stomach and her thirst.

When River finished climbing, she looked around and nearly missed the sight of a bowl and a plate laid out in front of her. River blinked twice, wondering if it was her imagination playing tricks on her before she slowly went towards it. It was no trick; there was definitely a bowl full of fresh water and beside it, palm leaves laid out on the rock and half covered by an upturned tin. She laughed joyfully, unable to believe her luck before she sat down and began to drink the fresh water, so glad it wasn't sea water. She savoured each taste, unsure when she was going to find any other fresh water before she moved onto the upturned tin. She lifted the tin aside and she laughed once more, seeing fish laid out for her in neat rows on the palm leaves with seven small red bananas.

She ate the fish first, savouring each strip and she looked around her. Where was this person who had laid out these for her? Why wasn't this person showing themselves? Was it the same person that pulled her up on shore? The same one that saved her life?

The fish was raw but River had eaten worse during her travels on board the HMS TARDIS. She didn't mind the fish was raw, she was too hungry to care. She ate every single one of the fish and bananas and River smiled. During the war, the country had to ration and they had to grow their own food so bananas were very limited. But one of the best things about working in the navy was the fact that each country you visit, you get to stock up on food and taste new things and that was wonderful! Just to experience different cultures instead of having the same old boring food back home. The bananas here were sweeter and juicier and River couldn't help but eat them all quickly. They were so delicious!

Once she had finished, she scanned the forest, looking for her benefactor and she knew whoever he or she was had to be close by but she could see no one. Well, at least whoever else was on the island seemed friendly enough even if they didn't want to be seen. She knew that they would come back for the bowls so she decided to write a message and grabbed a sharp stone and began to write on the rocks near the bowl: 'Thank you sweetie. I am Third Officer River Song, my ship has been attacked by two German warships and I was thrown into the sea. Who are you?'

After she had finished, River decided she needed to wash herself. She felt dirty and unclean after the long day she had yesterday and the sea looked very inviting and clean and refreshing. She took off her uniform and swam in the sea, being careful not to go too far for she has had enough of that for a while. The sea itself was balmy and calm and barely a ripple of a wave to be seen. She came out clean and refreshed and invigorated, as though she was a brand new person and began to put back on her uniform and underwear which lay untouched on the sand.

Now River herself felt refreshed and had her energy given back to her, she had time to think clearly. First, she would explore this part of the Island and she knew she must be careful not to stray to far away from the cave. Then she would try and make a fire and wait for rescue.

She set off at a gentle pace and saw millions of shells all scattered across the beach further up from the cave. Before long, River came across what seemed to be a long sheet of rusted metal, clearly all that was left of the side of a ship's hull now sunk deep in sand. At first, her first thoughts drifted over to the HMS, dread filling her until she noticed how old the metal actually was. She knelt down and ran her hand along side of it and noticed a fragment of clear glass lying in the sand nearby, most likely from a broken piece of bottle. She carefully picked it up and smiled. This was her way of making fire. Whilst she didn't have any paper on her, she could certainly use leaves to make fire and she quickly ran up the beach and gathered whatever she could find from under the trees, bits of cane, twigs and leaves and began to make a small pile on the sand and sat down beside it. A fire would be good for her because not only would it send a distress signal, but it would also keep the animals and insects away too and maybe, just maybe, the HMS TARDIS itself would see the smoke rising from the Island.

At first, nothing happened but River knew she had to be patient and she sat like that for a good half hour when suddenly, a shadow under the trees moved and came lumbering out into the sunlight towards her and sat down just a few feet away from her and River realized it was an orang-utan. She had never seen one up close and certainly not a wild one, she had always seen one in the zoo and it was sat a few feet away from her and looked as though it was studying her and she only hoped that if she stayed still long enough, the orang-utan would walk away. She sat quietly and looked at the orang-utan who scratched his neck casually before he turned and made his way on all fours slowly back into the forest.

River released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She hadn't known how to react, she hadn't studied orang-utans that much but she knew they could be strong and dangerous if anyone threatened them. Then that was when she saw it. She saw smoke and she saw a glow amongst her pile of leaves before a small fire began to burn and she laughed with delight. She had fire! She had fire!

She quickly dashed into the forest and collected all the debris, all the dried-up coconut shells, all the wood she could find. Back and forth she went until her fire was roaring and crackling like an inferno. Sparks were flying high into the air and smoke was rising into the trees behind her. River knew she could not rest for she needed more wood and bigger branches and she would have to fetch and carry until she was certain she had enough to keep it going and enough in reserve.

Whilst she went into the forest, she kept a wary eye out for the orang-utan but was more concerned with the fire to worry much about the animal. Her pile of wood was huge now and as she was coming out of the trees, loading with wood up to her chin and she frowned when she realized there was much less smoke coming from the fire than there had been before, before there was no flames at all.

She quickly ran over and saw a man with floppy, brown hair wearing raggedy clothes and a raggedy bow-tie, crouching down and scooping sand onto her fire. River dropped all the wood before running over to him, looking furious. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You're putting out my rescue signal!" She called as she stormed over to him, furious. The nerve of the man!

"Me? What do you think you're doing?!" The man shouted back, putting out the last bit of the fire. "Coming onto my Island like you own it!"

River was thankful that the man spoke English but that didn't make her any more pleased to see him. Especially when he was putting out her distress signal! How dare he! "You're Island?!" She scoffed. "This is nobody's Island! Just who do you think you are?"

The man straightened his raggedy bow-tie as best as he could. "No one." He retorted, eyeing her navy uniform before pointing at the fire. The way he was eyeing her uniform it was like he was disgusted by it. "No more fire, that's final."

River looked at him, unable to believe her ears. "No more fire? Are you serious? Fire is my only way off this Island! My HMS ship will be able to come and rescue me if I have a fire!"

"What rank are you?" The man asked, eyeing her.

"Third Officer, the highest rank for a female in the Navy." River replied proudly. "My crew need me. We got attacked by two German warships and I was thrown overboard. I need the fire so my crew can come and rescue me."

The man shook his head. "No fire. Fires are not good and I don't want any sailors or soldiers on my Island!"

River blinked, hearing the distaste what he held for soldiers and sailors. What could make him hate them so much? "Why? Why not? Unlike you, I have duties I need to get back to. My country needs me."

"That's what they always say." The man retorted, not looking happy.

"Who are you anyway?" River folded her arms, looking at him crossly but as she studied him, she realized she had seen his face before! Could it be the man who saved her?

"Theta Lungbarrow." Theta replied. "And you?"

"River Song. Were you the man who fed me fish and bananas this morning?"

"Well of course! We're the only two people on the Island. Who else could have done? Father Christmas?" The man began to walk away, his floppy hair waving in the wind.

"It was you." River called, realizing where she had seen the man's face before and Theta paused in his tracks. "It was you who rescued me from the ocean."

The man turned slightly to face her. 'Yes. Yes it was. Problem with that Third Officer?"

"No, not at all sweetie. I'm just saying if you hadn't saved me, I would be a dead woman by now." She quickly followed him. Despite the fact that he had put out her fire, she was grateful for the fact she had company and it looked like Theta could use some company too.

"Will you stop following me?!" Theta cried angrily as they walked alongside the beach for a few hours. He had noticed her following despite him trying to outrun her but she was always following close up behind. Damn the navy's fitness training, he cursed to himself.

"We'll survive better if we work together in a team whether you like it or not." River replied coldly, knowing she was right. The only reason she had survived all those disasters she has been through onboard the HMS TARDIS was because she worked in a team and with the best people that always looked out for each other, no matter the danger. "I don't like the idea any more than you do but it's the only choice we have. Besides, I'll end up going insane if I didn't have anyone with me."

Theta scowled. "Fine! Fine! But you're sticking by my rules, you understand?" He pointed a finger at her, as though he was a teacher in a classroom and was pointing at a child disapprovingly.

"And what rules would they be?"

"Rule 1; don't wander off." He began, counting off his fingers. "Rule 7-"

"Rule 7? Don't you mean rule 2 sweetie?" River smirked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Doing rules in order is boring! Much more fun mixing it up." He waved her off. "Rule 7; Never run when you are scared. Rule 27; never knowingly be serious. Rule 408; Time is not the boss of you. You understand?"

River blinked. Those rules were the strangest she had ever been given but yet they all made sense. "Of course."

"Good. Brilliant! Because if you break any of those rules, there will be consequences." He warned her before giving her a warm smile.

"So what is this Island called?" River asked. "I have never come across this Island before and it's not even registered on the maps!"

"Good and it should stay that way. This Island is peaceful and it's beautiful and the animals here should remain untouched. The Island is called Gallifrey." He smiled proudly.

"Gallifrey? What a beautiful name. Did you make it up?"

"No actually, I named it after my home-town in Ireland. Beautiful place, you should visit there sometime."

River frowned, trying to remember a town being called Gallifrey in Ireland but she couldn't remember there being one. Oh, she has been to Ireland a few times and it was really a beautiful place but perhaps she hasn't seen all of it so she had no right to judge. "So you're Irish then? You don't sound Irish." She chided.

"Yeah, well, once you travelled long enough, you start to lose your accent just a bit. Well, maybe a lot. Well, perhaps all of your accent." He flapped his hands a bit before stopping in front of a cave. It wasn't her cave that she slept in but another cave and he beamed at her. "Well, are you coming in? You can't stay out all night you know." He asked before sauntering in his cave.

River hesitated at first, watching him go before looking back out to the sea. She shook her head and quickly followed him before she gazed around the cave in surprise. In comparison with her cave down by the beach, this cave was vast. Apart from the roof of vaulted rock above, she could scarcely have known it was a cave. It looked more like an open plan house than a cave, it had a kitchen, sitting-room, studio, bedroom all in one space. She saw a pot hanging above an unlit fire and she knew that must be where Theta cooked his food.

She could see dark gleam of metal pots an pans lined up on a nearby wooden shelf. There were other shelves too lined with tins and jars, dozens of them of all sizes and shapes and hanging beneath them innumerable bunches of dried herbs and flowers. The cave house itself was sparsely furnished. To one side of the cave mouth stood a low wooden table, barely a foot off the ground. Here he kept his paint-brushes that were neatly laid out and several more jars and bottles too. She had to admit, it was impressive.

"Well, what do you think?" Theta asked, bouncing up and down on the ball of his toes.

"It's magnificent." River looked around impressed. "Especially for one with such little resources. How did you manage to get all those pots and pans? And a table too?"

"Story for another time." He grinned but River couldn't help but notice his grin falter a little. "It's almost time to eat. You can sleep there," He pointed to a sleeping bag that was made out of woven rushes. Before he made a face. "Ah. I'm afraid it's gonna be raw fish and red bananas again."

River laughed. "That's perfectly all right sweetie. I've eaten worse back on board HMS TARDIS." She sat herself down cross-legged on the floor, watching him light the fire. No fires, he said but yet here he was, lighting a fire to cook their meal. But she supposed that was the way he was, being selfish and wanting nobody on this Island except himself. She couldn't help but wonder how long he has been on this Island or how he got here in the first place but she knew she would know all that in good time. She only hoped his madness wouldn't rub off on her.


	4. 21 Questions

River and Theta were sat on the floor eating their meal and drinking fresh water from the spare bowls that Theta had and they sat there comfortably for a while, both looking at each other as though still uneasy with one another. Despite the fact that Theta was offering her a place to sleep and some food and water, River has still not forgiven him for putting out her distress signal. Couldn't he see that she didn't want to stay on this forbidden Island? Who knew the true dangers this Island held and River wanted Theta to answer her questions and she wanted his answers now. 

She put down her empty bowls before resting her head in her hand, looking at him seriously. “I want answers.”

Theta was finishing off drinking his water and he raised an eyebrow. “Answers? What answers? All the answers are right here!” He moved his spare hand and moved it out wide to the side to show that he meant the cave. “What more answers could you possibly want?”

“Just because you live in a cave doesn't mean it holds the answers to everything.” River retorted. “I have questions and no doubt you have questions to and since it looks like we're both going to be stuck on this Island for a while, we might as well start somewhere to get to know each other.” 

“Fine.” Theta replied crossly, putting his bowl down and ran a hand through his floppy brown hair. “Fine! What questions do you have on your mind?”

“Who are you? And I know your name and the town you were from but beyond that, nothing.” River shook her head and it was true. For all she could know, Theta Lungbarrow could be a war criminal scurrying away on a deserted Island who wanted nothing more than to stay hidden and that theory did explain a little on why he may hate soldiers and sailors and why he didn't wanted them on his Island. “If I'm going to be spending a long time here on Gallifrey, I want to at least get to know my neighbour slightly better.”

Theta scowled, not liking the idea in the slightest. He wanted nobody on this Island yet this sailor just barged in and demanded to know all about him? Just because she was a high ranking sailor, it did not mean she was above him.“Fine. What do you propose?”

River pushed back a strand of her curly blonde hair before resting her chin in her palm. “I propose we play twenty one questions.”

Theta frowned. He remembered playing a game like that when he was a young man in university, but that was a long time ago now. “Isn't that the game you get to know each other more?”

River nodded. “The very one. Shall I start?”

Theta threw his hands in the air before leaning back, looking at her. “Go one then. Ask away!”

“How old are you?”

“I'm 31 years old. My turn; how long have you been in the navy?”

“30 years approximately. Favourite colour?” River smirked.

“The ocean blue. Any family?” Theta asked curiously.

“My crew is my family.” River replied quickly and it was true for she was an orphan. Her parents abandoned her on the side of the road in nothing but her baby blanket before she was found by the local police and Theta was about to ask what she meant by it but River raised her finger, silencing him. She didn't want to discuss her history, not right now and not especially when they were just playing a mere game. She could tell her past another time since Theta was still nothing but a stranger to her. “My turn. Have you ever been in love?”

“Once. Why did you join the Navy?” Theta couldn't help but ask, the curiously getting the better of him.

“To see the world. Are you dangerous?” She had to ask. Had to make sure she was safe.

Theta laughed, throwing his head back slightly before wiping his fringe to the side. “I'm a mad man in a cave, what do you expect? Favourite music?”

“Glenn Miller.” Theta nodded appreciatively, indicating that he too liked Glenn Miller. “Favourite artists?” She had gathered that he was into art due to all surviving paint brushes he had around the cave. 

“Vincent Van Gogh. Family?” Theta asked as she stretched her legs, her legs aching slightly after sitting cross-legged for so long.

“None. You?” River asked quickly, avoiding the subject of family. It was always one of her most hated topics to talk about. 

“I have one older brother.”

“Really? What's his name?”

Theta smirked devilishly. “Ah-ah! My turn, you have to wait now. Favourite season?”

“Summer, definitely. Could never stand winter.” River replied honestly and it was true. She had always hated winter. It was that period of time where everything was dying and all the leaves on the trees were gone and left in a dead pile on the ground and the flowers and all the animals hidden away until spring. Not only that, winter time meant Christmas and every single year since River could remember, River had never had a good Christmas and she had always hated the holiday due to her growing up in a poor orphanage that couldn't afford a decent meal and not only that, she had never received a present in any of her childhood Christmases. “If you could have three wishes, what would they be?”

Theta sat and thought for a moment. That was an extremely good question. “My first wish is for this Island, Gallifrey, to be remained untouched and let the animals here especially the orang-utans live in peace. My second wish would be to see my brother if I do ever leave Gallifrey and my third wish is for you to find your home and happiness.” Theta had been studying River for a while now whilst they were playing this game. He could see the sadness and secrets she held within her eyes and knew despite the fact she had a crew that she loved, she was still complete alone and had no true happiness and he hoped with the amount of time he could change that. She may be strong and independent and a survivor, but he knew underneath all that she was nothing more than a lost little girl. “Favourite animal?”

“Rabbits or dogs.” River replied instantly before looking somewhat bashful by her answer. “You said you been in love once; what was their name?”

“She was called Romana.” Theta smiled sadly and River wondered if she had hit a sensitive subject and she inwardly winced. “She died a long time ago now. Now, have you ever been in love?”

River nodded. “Once but he was a complete bastard. Never again,” She sighed heavily and River wished she had a bottle of wine or whiskey with her so she could forget him. “What are you most proud of?”

“Surviving this long on Gallifrey,” Theta admitted and he was proud. Never did he expect that he would last this long and he was so thankful he had survived even if was a little insane. “Are you a good friend?”

“I would like to think I am. I am fiercely loyal. If you were a millionaire, what would you do with your money?” River asked.

“Honestly, I don't care about money,” Theta admitted and he never did. Not with the life-style he has. “But if I had a choice, I would give it to this Island and made sure that the animals here had better medical care or I would give it to charities if I ever got back home. Do you like children?”

River snorted, looking unamused. “Children? No. I don't get along with children at all.” Only children in orphanages she added mentally but she didn't dare say that out loud. “What are you scared of?”

“Being forgotten mostly,” Theta replied honestly. “Are you religious?”

“No. I never cared for God for he has never been there for me but I do respect other people's beliefs.” River told him. “Why do you hate sailors or soldiers so much?” 

Theta looked away as though unable to look at her in the eye and looked into the dying fire beside them. For a long while, Theta didn't answer her and River waited patiently, knowing she would soon get her answer. “Romana.” Was all he said as though that had explained everything and River wondered if this Romana had an affair with one of the sailors or soldiers but the look in Theta's eyes could clearly state that was not the answer and something terrible had happened to them. He looked up at the entrance of the cave and whilst they were talking and eating all that time, the sun had set and it had gone dark and they heard the waves crashing onto the sand not far away from them with the fire crackling. “Look at that. It's getting late and we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

River frowned. “We do?”

Theta nodded, clapping his hands before making his way to put the fire out. “We do! You thought I was going to let you sleep and eat in my cave without expecting any help from you were you?”

“No, of course not! I want to help anyway. If you're helping me survive then I want to keep my end of the bargain.” River retorted before she too got up and made her way to her 'bed' that Theta had made for her earlier. 

“Good! Because I do not expect you to be lazying about.” He pointed his finger at her before making his way to his own bed. “Good night.”

“Good night sweetie.” She murmured and she tried to get comfy before she stared up at the ceiling and listening to the waves crashing onto the sandy beach when not before long, the forest became alive with the sounds of animal noises and she shut her eyes tightly, grateful for the fact that not only had she got somewhere to sleep with food and water but also had company as well despite the fact that Theta prevented her from being rescued. River knew she would not stay forever on Gallifrey, not when she had a rescue plan forming in her mind. She will get off Gallifrey, no matter what it takes and she fell into an uneasy sleep of orang-utans and raggedy, mad cave men.


End file.
